NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The 2026-27 Yale women's basketball season starts with a pair of games in the first week of November. The Bulldogs host Elms on Monday (4:30 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats,
Tickets) and Saint Francis on Friday (6:00 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats,
Tickets).
Yale's Top Returners
Here are Yale's leading returners from 2025-26 in various categories:
Roster Refresh
Yale has added five first-years and one transfer to the roster this year. The Bulldogs have four seniors, five juniors, five sophomores and five first-years.
International Flavor
In addition to eight different U.S. states, the Yale roster includes players from six foreign countries:
Captain Lynn
Senior guard
Lucy Lynn (Liberty Lake, Wash.), Yale's captain, is back after missing last season due to injury. She appeared in a career-high 16 games in 2024-25, including her first four career starts, before an injury ended her season prematurely.
Coaching Staff
Dalila Eshe returns for her fifth season as Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball after joining Yale from Princeton, where she spent three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and helped the Tigers to a No. 24 national ranking and an Ivy League title. Assistant coaches
Jevon Estelle and
Keisha Hampton joined the staff this year. Director of operations
Jehrin Colbert is back for her fourth year.
Scouting Elms
Elms, a Division III school in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, went 8-17 last season. Junior forward/center Mary Turco was a third team All-GNAC selection, averaging 14.1 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game.
Scouting Saint Francis
Saint Francis, which is transitioning from Division I to Division III, is now a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The Red Wolves were Division I and in the NEC last year, posting a 3-26 record and falling in the NEC Tournament quarterfinals. Raphael McNeill is in his first full season as the team's head coach.
Social Media
